Watching romantic movies with your partner can save you from a divorce, says study

Today, we can see a considerable rise in divorce rates. But the light at the end of the tunnel is that while there can be many causes leading to divorce, people are also working hard to find newer ways to keep their marriage alive. Interestingly, a group of researchers have found a novel way to keep couples together. According to a new study conducted at University of Rochester, the simple exercise of watching five relationship-based movies a month and discussing the marital issues in a post-film debrief could be as effective as counselling. The findings of the study led by Doctor Ronald Rogge, associate professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in the US show that movie-watching could cut divorce rates in half, reducing the separation rate from 24% to 11% after three years.

Husbands and wives have a pretty good sense of righteousness in their relationships. We do not need to teach them new skills, looking at the fights of on-screen couples can help them notice their toxic behaviours. What makes the movie method as efficient as the therapist-led approach is that it helps couples take a cold hard look at their behaviour. Watching how on-screen couples handle arguments, couples in real life can relate them to their marriage. It’s also less stigmatising and less patronising. Taking time to sit down and take an objective look at your relationship with your partner is going to be helpful for any couple.

Unlike couple therapy and marital counselling, lead author Ronald Rogge says, the film-discussion method is inexpensive, fun and simple. Pop some popcorn, grab some blankets and while comfortably resting on the couch put in some romantic movie. Movies can be a fantastic way to hold each other’s hands and mirror the romantic scenes in real life. According to the study, the couples who watch lovey-dovey movies together and then talked about them can have a more stable relationship than those who don’t.

Marriage isn’t a fairytale. Have you ever been thinking to open up to your partner and discuss everything odd that’s going on between you? But when finally the time arrived, you forget all your good intentions, snap at him, hide your real feelings and did things that you do not mean to. This lack of communication and transparency put a bigger wall between you and your partner. Since most of you don’t know how to work things out without toxic actions, watching a movie that helps to understand your problems can be a good idea. You can watch movies that portray a marriage crisis or a mid-life crisis and how couples despite this form a quirky and wonderful friendship. Even if it takes a movie to get you talking, it's the right thing to do to make your marriage thrive. The ability to talk to each other and communicate your feelings properly can make your journey much easier.

The experts believe that the movie method can work for all marriages irrespective of how long the couples have been together. Sitting down and taking a fresh look at one’s behaviour can be effective at any stage. Also, watching a romantic film could be a fantastic way to celebrate an occasion like anniversary while holding each other’s hands and discussing it afterwards. Movies can be a real healer.

Do you like discussing movies with your loved one? Well, if turning on a movie featuring relationships and watching other couples fight and romance can fill the gap and act as a trick to save marriage then why not?

(All images used here are representational)